OC Register: Are the Kings bound for Anaheim?

With so much talk about the fate of the New Orleans Hornets, it’s easy to forget there’s another NBA team that wants out of its current arena.

The owners of the Sacramento Kings have been trying for more than a decade to get a replacement for Arco Arena. Voters rejected a sales tax in 2006 that would have paid for the new digs. And the Cal Expo board last year rejected a land swap to provide land for a downtown arena.

Youngman says Anaheim Ducks owner Henry Samueli wants an NBA team to share the Honda Center. Seattle, San Jose, Kansas City, Las Vegas and Louisville also have been mentioned in the past as potential new homes for the Kings.

The latest speculation was triggered by a Bloomberg News story that two private investment firms are working to take control of the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas after the Maloofs violated loan covenants.

The family released a statement Monday, saying, “We are looking at all options to ensure the long-term viability of this franchise.”

Time, Youngman says, could be of the essence for the Maloofs:

If the Maloofs are having significant financial problems – the Sacramento Bee reports that in 2009 the family sold its original beer distributorship in New Mexico for more than $100 million and that there also were staff layoffs in the Kings organization and at The Palms – then perhaps there is a greater sense of urgency to move the franchise to a market with better demographics, more potential corporate sponsors and an NBA-ready arena.

That’s where Anaheim comes in. If the Maloofs decide to move the Kings – or are forced to sell a team struggling on the court (NBA-worst 8-25 record) and struggling at the gate (29th out of 30 in home attendance) – Anaheim and San Jose are believed to be the most likely destinations because they both have NBA-quality arenas and waiting billionaires to help them overcome financial obstacles.

Seattle has a waiting billionaire in Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, but KeyArena is not considered “NBA-quality” anymore. San Jose has Oracle CEO Larry Ellison and HP Pavilion, home of the Sharks, but the league has already rebuffed Ellison’s attempts to buy the Hornets.

Does Anaheim have the inside track for the Kings?

“We have always wanted, and continue to work on getting an NBA basketball team at the arena,” Michael Schulman, Ducks CEO and chairman of Anaheim Arena Management, said Sunday. “And we will continue to work at that. If the Kings end up deciding to leave Sacramento, we would welcome them to Anaheim. Or any other team.”

Read Youngman’s entire column, including some potential obstacles to the Kings moving to Anaheim, here.